Spatial (or volumetric) audio involves the rendering of different sound objects at different three-dimensional locations. Each sound object can be individually controlled. For example, its intensity may be controlled, its location or position may be controlled or other characteristics of the sound object may be individually controlled. This enables the relocation of sound sources within an sound scene that is rendered to a user. It also enables the engineering of that sound scene.
Spatial audio may, for example, be rendered to a user using multiple speakers e.g. 5.1 or 7.1 surround sound or may be rendered to a user via headphones e.g. binaural rendering.
Spatial audio may be used to render audio content to a user or may be used to render the audio part of multi-media content to a user. Where multi-media content is rendered the visual content may, for example, be rendered via mediated reality, for example virtual reality or augmented reality. It may, in some circumstances, be desirable to allow a user, who may, for example, be a content consumer or a content engineer, to comprehend the content of a sound scene without fully rendering the sound scene to that user.